Splitter received attention from the Portland TrailBlazers, which pushed the Spurs to act before the threat of an offer sheet forced them to enter a bidding war for the young players' services.

Splitter is only 28 years old and has showed improvement over each of his three seasons since originally being drafted with the 28th pick in 2007. Last year was his best, as he produced 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in 24.7 minutes and helped the Spurs reach the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Heat in Game 7.

With Tim Duncan entering the twilight of his career at 37 years old, it is no surprise the Spurs were motivated to hold onto to Splitter. Duncan continues to play at a high level, however. He averaged 17.8 points and 9.9 rebounds in his 16th NBA season.